Elastic tire.



PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

'W. S. SMITH & W. H. EDWARDS.

ELASTIC TIRE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.10,1906

I ,fru'cu (02g MI wwUx/mhdu UNITED STA QPTP OFFICE.

WILLOUGHBY STATHAM SMITH, OF HYDE PARK PLACE, AND WlLLlAM HENI tYEDWARDS, OF WALTI-IAMSTOW, ENGLAND; SAID. EDWARDS ASSTGNOR TO SAIDSMITH.

ELASTIC TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed September 10, 1906. Serial No. 333,994.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLOUGHBY STA'rnAtI SMI'III, gentleman, residingat 12 Hyde Park Place, in the I county of Middles'ex, England, and.WILLIAM HENRY EDWARDS, mechanic, residing at 161 Winns avenue,Walthainstow, in the county of Essex, England, subjects of the King ofGreat Britain,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElastic Tires, of which'the followingis a specification.

According to this invention the usual studs to prevent slipping arereplaced by recesses sunk in the tread, the bottom of such recessesbeing connected together by a small passage or passages. As the recessessuccessively come onto the ground the air in them is compressed and isforced through the passages into the adjacent recesses thereby cleaniugthem. i

A convenient way of making the tire is to wrap one or more strings roundthe body of the tire preferably in a longitudinal direction then placingover the strings a tread perforated with holes and vulcanizing the wholetogether. The strings are then pulled out through the holes inthetreadleaving the desired passages The invention is applicable both tothe covers of pneumatic tires and to solid tires.

Figure 1 is an underside view, Fig. 2 a transverse section and Fig 3 alongitudinal section of part of-the cover of a pneumatic tire madeaccording to this inven lion.

a is the cover, I) are the recesses in the tread and c are the smallpassages connecting them. Although the passages c are shown as runningcircumferentially round the tire they may be arranged in otherdirecfions.

It will be observed that the passages, 6, connect ad jacent recesses orcells and that there is no communication between said passages and theopen air except through the cells, therefore as the recesses or cellssuccessively come onto the ground the air in them is .compressed and isforced through the passages'into the adjacent recesses, thereby forcingout mud, etc., from the latter and keeping them clean- What we claim'is:

An elastic tire having an integral tread portion formed with recesses orcells open at the outer surface of the tire but closed at the bottom andwhich cells are connected to-' gther by small tubular passages having noconnection with the open air except through said cells.

WILLOUGHBY ST'ATHAM SMITH. W ILLIAM HENRY EDWARDS. Witnesses H. D.JAMEsoN, A. NUTTING.

